Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ESFR-SMART (European Sodium Fast Reactor Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools)
Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31
The problem addressed is a need for a new safe, reliable, sustainable, economical, and clean technology for generating electricity. The project is important for the society because it proposes such technology based on European Sodium Fast Reactor (ESFR) which is expected to be better compared to existing electricity generation technologies in terms of safety (due to high level of passive self-protection provided by the selected design and materials); reliability (due to simple design and high requirements to manufacturing); sustainability (due to availability of fuel resources for several millennia and waste minimization); economical (due to high availability, high electric power); and environmentally clean (due to absence of CO2 emission).
The project aims at 5 overall objectives:
- Produce new experimental data to support calibration and validation of computational tools.
- Test and qualify an advanced concept of the eddy-current flow meter aimed at the channel blockage detection.
- Perform further calibration and validation of computational tools to support safety assessments of the technology.
- Select and assess new safety measures for ESFR in accordance with European and international safety frameworks.
- Strengthen and link together new networks, in particular, of European sodium facilities and of European students.
The project aims at 5 overall objectives:
- Produce new experimental data to support calibration and validation of computational tools.
- Test and qualify an advanced concept of the eddy-current flow meter aimed at the channel blockage detection.
- Perform further calibration and validation of computational tools to support safety assessments of the technology.
- Select and assess new safety measures for ESFR in accordance with European and international safety frameworks.
- Strengthen and link together new networks, in particular, of European sodium facilities and of European students.
WP1 "New safety measures" provided a consistent set of new safety measures for ESFR to be assessed in other WPs and monitored the consistency of different R&D studies.
WP2 "Normal operation" assessed the impact of new safety measures on normal operation; evaluating safety parameters; and provided neutronics data for other WPs.
WP3 "Measures to prevent sodium boiling" investigated transition from forced to natural circulation in primary pool and evaluated performance of pumps, decay heat removal systems and passive core shutdown system for the selected transients.
WP4 "Measures to prevent severe accidents" assessed the potential for establishing chugging boiling conditions during the unprotected loss of flow accident; assessed the occurrence of pressure waves caused by boiling; estimated the core geometry distortions and corresponding reactivity effects.
WP5 "Measures to mitigate severe accidents" evaluated the measures to mitigate severe accidents, in particular the reactor behavior in a hypothetical event of simultaneous failures of all primary pumps and core protection system.
WP6 "Codes calibration and validation" performed further calibration and verification of computational tools used for SFR safety assessments.
WP7 "New experiments for safety" produced and analysed new safety-related data.
WP8 "European sodium facilities support" created a new network for the exchange of information on the sodium technology; defined operating procedures; reviewed activities on sodium technologies ongoing worldwide; analysed synergies with other light liquid metals; studied sodium fire extinguishing means; and supported safe operation of sodium facilities by favouring human mobility.
WP9 "Instrumentation for safety" qualifyed eddy-current flow meters (ECFM) with the goal to further develop such sensors for realistic sodium reactor conditions.
WP10 "New measurements of fuel properties" manufactured, transported and characterized the fresh and irradiated fuel samples; measured safety-related properties and synthesized the new measurements in the fuel properties catalog.
WP11 "Dissemination, education and training" improved educational tools; organised workshops; supported students (in particular mobility); communicated with international organizations and general public; and managed project website.
WP12 "Project management" provided the consortium coordination; quality assurance, management of administrative, financial and legal matters; and organisation of the Advisory Review Panel meetings.
WP2 "Normal operation" assessed the impact of new safety measures on normal operation; evaluating safety parameters; and provided neutronics data for other WPs.
WP3 "Measures to prevent sodium boiling" investigated transition from forced to natural circulation in primary pool and evaluated performance of pumps, decay heat removal systems and passive core shutdown system for the selected transients.
WP4 "Measures to prevent severe accidents" assessed the potential for establishing chugging boiling conditions during the unprotected loss of flow accident; assessed the occurrence of pressure waves caused by boiling; estimated the core geometry distortions and corresponding reactivity effects.
WP5 "Measures to mitigate severe accidents" evaluated the measures to mitigate severe accidents, in particular the reactor behavior in a hypothetical event of simultaneous failures of all primary pumps and core protection system.
WP6 "Codes calibration and validation" performed further calibration and verification of computational tools used for SFR safety assessments.
WP7 "New experiments for safety" produced and analysed new safety-related data.
WP8 "European sodium facilities support" created a new network for the exchange of information on the sodium technology; defined operating procedures; reviewed activities on sodium technologies ongoing worldwide; analysed synergies with other light liquid metals; studied sodium fire extinguishing means; and supported safe operation of sodium facilities by favouring human mobility.
WP9 "Instrumentation for safety" qualifyed eddy-current flow meters (ECFM) with the goal to further develop such sensors for realistic sodium reactor conditions.
WP10 "New measurements of fuel properties" manufactured, transported and characterized the fresh and irradiated fuel samples; measured safety-related properties and synthesized the new measurements in the fuel properties catalog.
WP11 "Dissemination, education and training" improved educational tools; organised workshops; supported students (in particular mobility); communicated with international organizations and general public; and managed project website.
WP12 "Project management" provided the consortium coordination; quality assurance, management of administrative, financial and legal matters; and organisation of the Advisory Review Panel meetings.
The new ESFR reactor and core designs (Figs. 1-3) featuring new safety measures were developed and the safety architecture was created for this design.
The ESFR performance characteristics at the beginning and end of the equilibrium fuel cycle were evaluated and analysed. The fuel performance benchmark was conducted and importance of coupled calculations was estimated.
The computer models of the whole ESFR reactor system were developed, steady state analysis was done (Figs. 4-5) and a number of protected and unprotected accidents was simulated.
The thermal mechanical model of the reactor core coupled to the neutronics model has been developed and validated using the Phenix core flowering tests in frame of the PhD study.
The work has been done on modeling of the core degradation and movement of the molten materials to the core catcher device taking into account the dedicated transfer tubes from the core towards the core catcher.
Several benchmarks dedicated to core neutronics (Superphenix start-up tests), sodium thermal hydraulics (KNS-L22 sodium boiling test), molten fuel thermodynamics (SCARABEE BF1 in-pile test of fresh UO2 molten pool) and source term (NALA, FAUST and FANAL tests on fission product release) were completed.
The CHUG steam-water experiments on chugging boiling, JIMEC on interaction of a molten steel with concrete and HanSoLo (Fig. 6) on interaction of a water jet with ice as well as LIVE tests on modeling of the molten core material interaction with the core catcher were done; the KASOLA sodium facility was under commissioning tests; the KARIFA sodium facility has been designed.
The design guidelines, standard procedures for sodium loops and review of sodium technologies were reported.
Test series with various modifications of Eddy Current Flow Meter (ECFM) have been successfully realized, a new pool-type model experiment for tests in 3D flows using GaInSn has been designed and conducted (Fig. 7) and the test mock-up for ECFM tests under realistic sodium conditions was designed and calculated.
Fresh and irradiated fuel samples were transported to the hot labs, prepared and characterized. The new measurements of fuel properties has been performed and reported.
Several workshops, one short course and Summer School were organized. The project video was created and disseminated and the two project-related Generation-IV International Forum Webinars were conducted.
The ESFR performance characteristics at the beginning and end of the equilibrium fuel cycle were evaluated and analysed. The fuel performance benchmark was conducted and importance of coupled calculations was estimated.
The computer models of the whole ESFR reactor system were developed, steady state analysis was done (Figs. 4-5) and a number of protected and unprotected accidents was simulated.
The thermal mechanical model of the reactor core coupled to the neutronics model has been developed and validated using the Phenix core flowering tests in frame of the PhD study.
The work has been done on modeling of the core degradation and movement of the molten materials to the core catcher device taking into account the dedicated transfer tubes from the core towards the core catcher.
Several benchmarks dedicated to core neutronics (Superphenix start-up tests), sodium thermal hydraulics (KNS-L22 sodium boiling test), molten fuel thermodynamics (SCARABEE BF1 in-pile test of fresh UO2 molten pool) and source term (NALA, FAUST and FANAL tests on fission product release) were completed.
The CHUG steam-water experiments on chugging boiling, JIMEC on interaction of a molten steel with concrete and HanSoLo (Fig. 6) on interaction of a water jet with ice as well as LIVE tests on modeling of the molten core material interaction with the core catcher were done; the KASOLA sodium facility was under commissioning tests; the KARIFA sodium facility has been designed.
The design guidelines, standard procedures for sodium loops and review of sodium technologies were reported.
Test series with various modifications of Eddy Current Flow Meter (ECFM) have been successfully realized, a new pool-type model experiment for tests in 3D flows using GaInSn has been designed and conducted (Fig. 7) and the test mock-up for ECFM tests under realistic sodium conditions was designed and calculated.
Fresh and irradiated fuel samples were transported to the hot labs, prepared and characterized. The new measurements of fuel properties has been performed and reported.
Several workshops, one short course and Summer School were organized. The project video was created and disseminated and the two project-related Generation-IV International Forum Webinars were conducted.